[September 2023] Fireside Chat & Day in the Life

This past Friday’s Fireside Chat and Day in the Life panel with Janeen Marquardt, MBA, PMP Jenh Vo Paolo Sambrano Anne Powell Celine Marielle Domingo Brian Gapud Anthony Rodriguez ? gave me all the feels!? We laughed, we imagined what it was like to walk in the shoes of others who shared their stories, and we ended the night with winning!

The breakdown of participants showed a few more folks from the southern regions, but it was a nice showing from all over the U.S. including our friends from Asia who dialed in!?

There’s always someone who’s hungry and tired at the meetings ,?? but among the more somber words, the majority of us have a resilient sentiment of somewhere between “Blessed” and “Still fighting.” As for our 2023, it’s been a “rollercoaster” for many of us and despite it being swervy and uncertain, 2023 has been phenomenal or starting to look up for others! Interestingly, most of us are happy at our jobs, but a large number of us are unemployed or seeking.

So, I spilled coffee on my notes from this past Friday’s Fireside Chat and Day in the Life panel, but here are some key takeaways I could remember:

• Don’t judge a book by its cover – Just because someone looks “normal” on the outside, some people are really “broken” both physically and mentally inside. Take time to listen and understand someone before you pass judgment. Also, diversity and inclusion includes acceptance of people who don’t always fit the “norm” mold of the majority.
• Sometimes spite (“I’ll show them!”) can be a motivator to drive you towards achieving your goals. Find out what works for you to ignite that internal flame that motivates and pushes you past the boundaries of your comfort zone.
• One of the huge benefits of going through training programs such as Clicked, PepUp Tech, Talent Alliance Cohorts, RAD Women are the CONNECTIONS you make, getting exposure to how projects really work, and the credibility that comes with the brand of the training program.
• As you work in different companies, you discover what culture and team type works best for you. Sometimes large, highly structured environments aren’t ideal for someone who’s used to smaller, highly autonomous people.? Discover - Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond? Or start as a smaller fish in a big pond??
• People with higher education teaching backgrounds have some mad skills when it comes to studying for certs. There are some proven study techniques that you can follow to test better that you can apply to certification exams.
• Great mentoship experiences empower mentees to become great peer mentees and future mentors. Sharing the “do’s & don’ts” and tips about mistakes you’ve seen with others is a great way to work your way towards being a future Dreamin’ or Dreamforce speaker in the making!
• Don't take a break too long after taking a training program because you may make you forget a lot of the key learnings. So, try to keep on continually applying the skills you learned so you don’t lose that knowledge.
• Last but not least, “Don’t do it alone!” is the phrase that brought all the feels that night.? There’s a community for almost everyone and if you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet – create one!

It was almost an even split with folks who have gone to Dreamin/Dreamforce events and those of us who haven’t.? The overwhelming response for what an ideal Trailblazer Community would be for us is Supportive, Fun, Food and Welcoming!?

Many thanks again to Janeen and Jeff Sample for providing the swag prizes for our top 3 prizes. Congrats to our first-time winners:

• 1st prize - Ivy Gallardo ?
• 2nd prize - Gilmartin Pares Agosto
• 3rd prize - Lynn Brown
• 4th prize - Glenda Ninan

Hope to see you all next week for an exciting conversation with AWESOME Admins | Architects | Developers from around the world!? Register for this 10/17 Event here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEpdu2upz8sHdbJK8d6QFHHF1QU7zn1-tmh

Many thanks to everyone who joined us: Van ? N. Tony Nguyen Larry Lee, CSM?, LSSGB Evan Decker Ryanthony Baronda Shea Perez Stacy Irwin Sheley Lee Sara Samonte Kat Aquino Joey Chan Janet McCann Chelyn Briand Crystal Belton Karl Halcon Tove Smith Annette Myjak Kendall Pidgeon Dimitri Napoleon Esra Sen Lory Tibbetts, RN,BSN ?? Ashlee D. Amos Go David Bensberg @

Special thanks to Anthony Rodriguez ? 's Space coast Salesforce Trailblazer Group, Melbourne FL for sponsoring our ZOom call!

Check out these resources:

Training/Career Programs:

• Clicked
• PepUp Tech
• RAD Women
• Salesforce Talent Alliance Career Cohorts

Trailblazer Community Groups:

• disAbilityand IN-clusive user group
• Mental Health & Illness user group
• #Bobablazers
• Oakland CA user group
• RAD Women
• Superbadge Sunday user group